The Chicago Bears aimed to add more speed to their linebacker group when they drafted Ruben Hyppolite in the 4th round last year. Despite misgivings from several draft evaluators about his overall value outside of the speed, they felt he’d give them a dimension they lacked. It didn’t go well. Hyppolite didn’t see a ton of action during the season, and when he did, he didn’t have much impact. Then he got hurt, reigniting concerns about his size and whether he can survive at the NFL level.
Throughout the 2026 pre-draft process, the Bears have met with a total of three linebackers: Jacob Rodriguez of Texas Tech, Anthony Hill Jr. of Texas, and Jimmy Rolder of Michigan. Based on what is known about them, it strongly indicates that the team has made significant tweaks to its evaluation of the position. While athleticism is still important, they seem to be factoring in production, tackling, and instincts far more this year. All three of those players are known for those traits.
| Player | Team | Total Tackles | TFLs | Sacks | INTs | Forced Fumbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Rodriguez | Texas Tech | 128 | 11.0 | 1.0 | 4 | 7 |
| Anthony Hill Jr. | Texas | 69 | 7.0 | 4.0 | 2 | 3 |
| Jimmy Rolder | Michigan | 73 | 7.0 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 |
Shifting from Ruben Hyppolite to Jack Sanborn says it all.
Remember, the Bears allowed the former undrafted free agent to leave in free agency last year. He joined the Dallas Cowboys, and the Bears decided to go with Noah Sewell and Hyppolite. The fact that they chose to bring Sanborn back this year is a clear signal that their linebacker priorities needed to change. While Sanborn isn’t the fastest guy, his instincts and tackling ability made him valuable to the defense. It feels like the Bears would prefer to target guys like him, just with a little more explosiveness.
That isn’t a bad plan. Speed is great, but far from essential at that position. The best linebackers in the NFL are known more for their intelligence and instincts than their athleticism. Fred Warner only ran a 4.64. He’s the best there is right now. Demario Davis, who starred in Dennis Allen’s offense in New Orleans, only ran a 4.61. Tape study is crucial to identifying good linebackers. If they have speed? Great. Do they have an uncanny knack of knowing where the ball is going and getting that guy on the ground? That’s what you really want.
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The Bears continue to show a willingness to learn from mistakes.
Johnson proved that last season. His running game wasn’t working through the first month. Rather than persist with it, he made wholesale changes during the bye week, shifting to more of an outside-zone attack. It worked almost immediately, helping the Bears to become the league’s #3 ground attack. The same is true for GM Ryan Poles. For years, he was zeroed in on players with immense athletic upside, often overlooking a general lack of production to back it up. That changed last year, with the team opting for players with more established track records.
Ruben Hyppolite was one of the few who didn’t fall into that category. He was a calculated risk on upside. Unsurprisingly, the early signs aren’t great. The Bears don’t seem eager to try that again. Each of their top 30 visits thus far comes with a healthy amount of intriguing tape. We should take that to mean their scouting approach has shifted, and that Hyppolite is one of the reasons.
